Does anyone here actually use voice control commands in public (at a coffee shop, on the sidewalk) like the ads for this are suggesting? If so, does it feel awkward?

Expecting people to speak their commands in public just seems intrusive and I don't understand companies trying to pretend it's a norm to sell their products. I really don't want to know what song the person next to me is listening to. That's the point of headphones.

People with visual disabilities often already have better tools to interact with their phones with privacy, and nobody minds people using voice for people with physical disabilities either (and these tools exist already too).

Related: it's about to be even more weird for everyone in the world named "Alexa".

Wait a minute -- this actually seems too good to be true.

It offers "Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology" in wireless earbuds, when even Bose doesn't offer noise cancellation in wireless earbuds -- or anybody else as far as I can tell.

(AirPods, Bose SoundSport, Jabra Elite -- none do noise cancellation. Bose offers the larger QuietControl 30 buds [1], but the tech is still in a bulky "headband" connected by short wires.)

So... is "noise reduction" different from, or weaker than, the "noise cancelling" which Bose products already provide?

Or is Amazon actually somehow producing/licensing a product better than anything Bose itself sells, and for only half the price?

Something isn't adding up here... but I want it to be true, because I've been wanting a pair of genuine wireless noise-cancelling earbuds for so long now!

[1] https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/earphones/qui...

I have been teetering on the edge of full blown luddism ever since the first iPhone came out. Then social media took over . I have never used social media, and only just recently used a smartphone. Even though I hate the form it has taken on in this particular decade, I'm still open to the possibility that smartphones and social media could one day be ethical and healthy ways to communicate with other people.

That being said, the colonization of the human body is a step too far for me. I will use a smartphone, I might even use Facebook/Instagram/Snapchat one day if they ever embraced more human-centered ethical design. But I will never, ever, ever allow a company to intervene between my physical senses and the physical world. That's the line I personally choose to draw, hopefully many others will draw it with me.

Is there an advantage of keeping the port micro-usb? I am very surprised that in 2019 Amazon is still making devices that don't have usb-c. It's become a huge selling point for me personally.

If I were a retailer I'd love to know what my potential customers are talking about in their day-to-day so I can give them a great deal on exactly that.

It's like somebody dared amazon to put a mic into every new item they sell.

The TV remote has a mic. The outlet has a mic. The earbuds have mic(s).

and so on.

I mean, I get it, they want me to talk to Alexa, so it can figure out how to sell me more junk.

But seriously, I do not understand the desire to be listened to 24/7. I do not want a live mic in my home, nor in my pocket when I run, nor anywhere else it's not necessary.

Looks like this is basically a Bose product with Amazon branding so it should be pretty good.

That being said, as an owner of both the Bose QC35 and the Apple Airpods, I'm curious to see how this fits a use case. The over-ear Bose headphones have just enough comfort for its noise-canceling that I can use it for work and flights, and the Airpods I use for workouts - and intentionally don't want it to block out too much noise so when I'm running/biking I can be situationally aware. Am curious what upsides and downsides of these two niches it'll hit.

I want to, but the online requirement for seemingly basic commands like “next track” renders the feature useless when I need it the most: the London Tube. I often have no hands free when travelling in peak hour and connectivity at stations is patchy at best.

Looking forward to TfL finally rolling out cell coverage from 2020 though. Long time coming.

Amazon needs a different look for their own products' pages. Something about an item with zero reviews, the same style of photos as the off-brands they sell, and a wall of plain text phrases like "immersive sound" makes them seem really cheap.

These seem interesting. The biggest downside I see is that you have to use the Alexa app, which is hands-down the worst iOS app I have the displeasure of interacting with regularly.

[..] including the ability to mute the mics with the Alexa app.

I think one reason some may protest is these just aren't hacker-friendly to most IMO. They're consumption devices, and aren't tweakable enough, a la:

- Homebrew

- Custom firmware

- API's / SDK's

- Custom services / frameworks to orchestrate in-out-around vendors ecosystem (IFTTT?)

Not really enough to get at the gears of it. Is Alexa, by itself, the kind of ecosystem a startups would want to devote to? I imagine to make a really good Alexa product, it tends to be very specialized, and it's risky to be stuck with just one market.

Not to say Amazon's future isn't looking prosperous, but they control the APIs, the commission/royalty fees, etc. Whose to say 10 years from now, they wake up and say, you know, Alexa isn't financially viable anymore, your hardware has no site to connect to, and Alexa just shows the red loop/line of doom?

[1] https://developer.amazon.com/docs/alexa-voice-service/api-ov... I guess there's this.

I only need one bud, how about $65 for the left ear bud?

Be careful, these are the first step to being turned into a Cyberman.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQs3gVobcfg

Now with Alexa in full force I really wish Amazon would try their hand at a phone again. Phones are just so blah lately. We need someone to shake it up.

Every time something new and exciting comes out from these guys (AMZN, GOOG, MSFT, etc.), it's like HN (as a whole) forgets about all privacy, etc.

So, Echo spies. We know that. And now we're (the at least 117 upvotes so far) OK with putting Echo directly into our ears? And barely anyone in the comments section seems to care either... what is going on in here?

At first glance, the design looks super similar to the Zolo Liberty earbuds, which I love. https://zoloaudio.com/pages/liberty_series

The design is quite decent compared to the Apple Airpods which I love how they function but can't stand the dangly part. I have big ears so also like that the Echo buds offer different sizes.

Got: This item requires special handling and cannot be shipped to your selected location. using a street address (not PO Box). Wonder what's up with that.

>>Bose Active Noise Reduction Technology Interesting that Bose would license this out. Seems like Amazon would be a major threat to them.

Am I the only one here seeing an uncanny resemblance to the Bragi Dash? (RIP)

I am not sure about these. I think I would rather be plugged into my phone where I can do things like ask to make a phone call or ask for directions, plus everything Alexa can do too. Unless these can pair with your phone for that purpose?

Great design to optimize for gliomas. Probably not a problem for people in their 20's but I wouldn't recommend these for anyone past 40.

frequency, impedance, sensitivity? aac or aptx HD codecs? Where are the tech specs?

I like them for the form factor. Bose + noise cancelling. Can I just use them as bluetooth iPhone earbuds, or do I need to have the Alexa mind-rape that comes with it?

Are bluetooth ear buds really worth the cancer risks?

Bose is second only to Beats for sounding terrible yet somehow having a good brand image. What gives?

We're on a slippery slope.

These buds have microphones, obviously.

I do not want my voice captured by random folks on the street without my consent and sent to Alexa.

How will opt-in looks like for such systems?